[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 5721]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            THE WRONG STUFF

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. LAMAR SMITH

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, April 16, 2010

  Mr. SMITH of Texas. Madam Speaker, it was reported this week that 
India's Chandrayaan spacecraft detected water on the Moon. And another 
study revealed that there may be larger deposits of water on Mars than 
previously thought.
  Yet despite these two incredible discoveries, this Administration is 
content with ``earth observation'' and ``low Earth orbit studies.'' 
Hardly The Right Stuff.
  Madam Speaker, when President John F. Kennedy declared the intention 
of the United States to land on the Moon he knew it wouldn't be easy. 
To the contrary, he stated boldly that this great challenge would bring 
out the best in America. He was right.
  Two generations of school children dreamed of landing on the Moon and 
then on to Mars. Countless engineers and scientists credit the Moon 
endeavor as their inspiration for entering their field of study. This 
effort directly led to many of the incredible scientific and aerospace 
discoveries over the last 30-40 years.
  Sadly, the decisions of the Administration will keep Americans 
stalled on Earth for decades to come. Canceling the Constellation next 
generation rocket program was just the latest in this Administration's 
inward looking approach.
  Meanwhile, China, India and others are redoubling their efforts to 
not only go to the Moon, but beyond. It would be a sad state of affairs 
for the U.S. if the first person back to the Moon was not an American.
  And what are the long-term consequences of this visionless endeavor? 
Important as they may be, it's hard for anyone except perhaps a special 
interest group to get excited about earth observation and orbital 
animal migration studies.
  It is a well-known fact that today's students are uninspired and 
uninterested in careers in math, science and engineering. But it's 
understandable considering this Administration's lack of vision for 
space exploration.
  Yes, budgets are tight. Yes, we need to prioritize.
  But considering the incredible benefit for the U.S., we must have a 
sustained manned space program.
  Madam Speaker, Americans must once again lead in space exploration.